Customer service based upon in-store field-of-view and analytics

ABSTRACT

Concepts and technologies disclosed herein are directed to aspects of customer service based upon in-store field-of-view and analytics. According to one aspect disclosed herein, a store analytics system can collect user information associated with a plurality of users located within an environment. The store analytics system also can collect user device information associated with a plurality of user devices associated with the plurality of users. The store analytics system also can collect estimated fields-of-view associated with the plurality of users. The store analytics system can analyze the user information, the user device information, and the estimated fields-of-view to identify at least one commonality shared among at least two of the plurality of users. The store analytics system can create a logical group. The logical group can include the at least two users of the plurality of users that share the commonality.

BACKGROUND

Mobile computing devices such as smartphones and tablet computers havebecome an integral part of many people's lives. Many people use thesedevices as an aid for researching, comparing and purchasing productsonline as well as in physical stores. In fact, some reports indicatethat up to 84% of smartphone shoppers utilize their smartphones while ina physical store to, among other things, research productspecifications, compare prices and read reviews.

Some application developers have created device applications thatleverage augmented reality techniques to further enhance userexperiences. Augmented reality techniques utilize a camera to present alive view of a scene and augment the scene with additional information.For example, a navigation application that leverages augmented realitytechnology may present a live view of a street scene and augment thestreet scene with address information, directions and/or othernavigation information as an overlay to the live images captured by thecamera. Other augmented reality applications exist, including some thatallow shoppers to get additional information regarding products within astore.

Although augmented reality provides a fun and useful tool for users toreceive information in a real-world context, many users find it can becumbersome to hold up their device to view the live scene captured bythe camera and the contextual information that augments the live scene.This may result in many users fleeting use of augmented realityapplications. Without augmented reality, however, a user'sfield-of-view, as approximated through the device camera, is lost andinformation that might be contextually relevant becomes more difficultto ascertain and present to the user.

SUMMARY

Concepts and technologies disclosed herein are directed to aspects ofcustomer service based upon in-store field-of-view and analytics.According to one aspect disclosed herein, a store analytics system cancollect user information associated with a plurality of users locatedwithin an environment. The store analytics system also can collect userdevice information associated with a plurality of user devicesassociated with the plurality of users. The store analytics system alsocan collect estimated fields-of-view associated with the plurality ofusers. The store analytics system can analyze the user information, theuser device information, and the estimated fields-of-view to identify atleast one commonality shared among at least two of the plurality ofusers. The store analytics system can create a logical group. Thelogical group can include the at least two users of the plurality ofusers that share the commonality.

In some embodiments, the store analytics system can generate an offerdirected to the logical group. The store analytics system can send theoffer to the logical group. The store analytics system can send theoffer to each user device of the plurality of user devices that isassociated with a member of the logical group. The store analyticssystem can send the offer to a signage for presentation of the offer tothe logical group.

In some embodiments, the store analytics system can collect trafficpattern data associated with a traffic pattern of the logical group. Thestore analytics system can generate a notification message to instructcustomer service personnel to accommodate members of the logical group.The store analytics system can send the notification message to thecustomer service personnel.

In some embodiments, the store analytics system can instruct a remoteagent to provide assistance to members of the logical group. The remoteagent can be a human agent. The remote agent alternatively can be avirtual agent.

In some embodiments, the store analytics system can generate a messagedirected to a member of a social network platform. The message caninstruct the member of the social network platform to provide assistanceto the logical group. The store analytics system can send the message tothe member of the social network platform.

It should be appreciated that the above-described subject matter may beimplemented as a computer-controlled apparatus, a computer process, acomputing system, or as an article of manufacture, such as acomputer-readable storage medium. These and various other features willbe apparent from a reading of the following Detailed Description and areview of the associated drawings.

Other systems, methods, and/or computer program products according toembodiments will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art uponreview of the following drawings and detailed description. It isintended that all such additional systems, methods, and/or computerprogram products be included within this description, be within thescope of this disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-1C are system diagrams illustrating illustrative operatingenvironments for the various embodiments disclosed herein.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating aspects of a method fordetermining an estimated field-of-view of a user from the perspective ofa user device, according to an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating aspects of a method fordetermining an estimated field-of-view of a user from the perspective ofa visual orientation system, according to an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating aspects of a method fordetermining an estimated field-of-view of a user from the perspective ofa store analytics system, according to an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating aspects of a method forestablishing a potential field-of-view of a user, according to anillustrative embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating aspects of a method for using anestimated field-of-view of a user to provide customer service, accordingto an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating aspects of a method for creating alogical group of users, according to an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating aspects of a method for generatingoffers directed to a logical group of users, according to anillustrative embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating aspects of a method forinstructing customer service personnel to accommodate a logical group ofusers, according to an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating aspects of a method forgenerating a group-specific offer and causing in-store display signageto present the group-specific offer, according to an illustrativeembodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating aspects of a method for providingcustomer service via remote agent, according to an illustrativeembodiment.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating aspects of a method forleveraging one or more members of a social network platform to provideassistance with regard to one or more items located within anestimated-field-of-view of a user, according to an illustrativeembodiment.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an example mobile device,according to some illustrative embodiments.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating an example computer system,according to some illustrative embodiments.

FIG. 15 schematically illustrates a network, according to anillustrative embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description is directed to customer service basedupon in-store field-of-view and analytics. More specifically, thefollowing detailed description is directed, at least in part, todetermining a user's location and estimating the user's field-of-viewwithin a store to provide valuable information to a store owner and/oroperator as well as vendors who sell products in the store. By havinginformation regarding what customers, individually or in aggregate, arelooking at, and for how long, the store owner and/or operator can gathervaluable information regarding how to interact with a customer, whatshopping patterns customers display, and what items and/oradvertisements benefit from being near popular products. Thisinformation and conclusions that may be drawn from this information canallow the store owner and/or operator to improve customer and vendorrelationships.

While the subject matter described herein is presented in the generalcontext of program modules that execute in conjunction with theexecution of an operating system and application programs on a computersystem, those skilled in the art will recognize that otherimplementations may be performed in combination with other types ofprogram modules. Generally, program modules include routines, programs,components, data structures, and other types of structures that performparticular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Moreover,those skilled in the art will appreciate that the subject matterdescribed herein may be practiced with other computer systemconfigurations, including hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems,microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics,minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like.

Referring now to FIGS. 1A-1C, aspects of an operating environment 100for various embodiments of the concepts and technologies disclosedherein will be described. The operating environment 100 shown in FIG. 1Aincludes a store premises 102 that includes a plurality of aisles104A-104D in which a plurality of items (not shown) are located. Each ofthe plurality of aisles 104A-104D is associated with a corresponding oneof a plurality of location beacons 106A-106D. The plurality of locationbeacons 106A-106D can be utilized by one or more user devices 108A-108Dassociated with one or more users 110A-110D to determine a location ofone or more of the user devices 108A-108D, and thus one or more of theusers 110A-110D, within the store premises 102.

In the illustrated example, the users 110A-110D form a logical group111, which, as will be described in greater detail below, can beutilized, in some embodiments, to provide customer service to a group ofcustomers (e.g., the users 110A-110D) who are characterized, at least inpart, by one or more commonalities, some examples of which include, butare not limited to, a purpose for his or her visit to the store premises102, a predominant location or a predicted predominate location withinthe store premises 102, a predicted duration of visit, a predicted timeto checkout, a predicted purchase amount, the like, and combinationsthereof. The predicted commonalities can be predicted based, at least inpart, upon user history, including, for example, past locations, pastdurations of visit, past checkout times (e.g., elapsed time within thestore premises 102 before checkout or elapsed time during checkout),past purchase amounts, the like, and combinations thereof.

Furthermore, the user A 110A is shown viewing a portion of the aisle104A, as represented by an actual field-of-view A 112A of the user A110A. The actual field-of-view A 112A of the user A 110A may include oneor more items located on one or more shelves within the aisle 104A.Similarly, the user B 110B is shown viewing another portion of the aisle104A, as represented by an actual field-of-view B 112B of the user B110B. The other users—namely, the user C 110C and the user D 110D—alsocan view portions of the aisle 104A through corresponding actualfields-of view (not shown). As will be described in greater detailbelow, the actual field-of-view A 112A and the actual field-of-view B112B of the user A 110A and the user B 110B, respectively, can beestimated by a visual orientation system 114 using orientation andlocation data provided, in some embodiments, by a device application,such as a device application 116 executing on the user device A 108A.The device application 116 can obtain orientation data from one or moreorientation sensors 118. The device application 116 can obtain locationdata from one or more location components 120. The device application116, in some embodiments, provide privacy settings that allow users toopt-in to or opt-out of one or more features described herein thatutilize, for example, a location, orientation, shopping history,personal information, or other information. The other user devices108B-108D can include one or more applications similar to the deviceapplication 116, one or more orientation sensors similar to theorientation sensor(s) 118, and one or more location components similarto the location component(s) 120. The user device A 108A is used as anexample at times in the remaining description, although it should beunderstood that the user devices 108B-108D may be, at least partially,similarly configured.

The store premises 102 is described, by way of example herein, as astore having a plurality of aisles 104A-104D, each with shelves fordisplaying products and other items. In some embodiments, productsand/or other items may be tagged with static or dynamic pricingdisplays, such as signage 121. In some embodiments, the signage 121 candisplay pricing that is particular to one or more of the users 110A-110Dor all the users in the logical group 111. By way of example, the storepremises 102 may be a home improvement store or a grocery store. Theseexamples are provided merely to aid in describing the concepts andtechnologies disclosed herein. It should be understood that the storepremises 102 alternatively may include any environment in which thefield-of-view of a given user is useful. Some example environmentsinclude, but are not limited to, outdoor environments, stadiums, tentsand other temporary structures, houses and other residentialenvironments, parking garages, commercial buildings, nature trails,outdoor sales events, festivals, concerts, other non-retailenvironments, and the like.

The user devices 108A-108D, in some embodiments, are mobile devices suchas, for example, smartphones, tablet devices, personal digitalassistants, laptop computers, or the like. The user devices 108A-108D,in some other embodiments, are wearable devices such as, for example,smart watches, smart glasses, smart jewelry, fitness accessories, or thelike. In some other embodiments, the user devices 108A-108D areimplanted devices that are implanted within the users 110A-110D. In someother embodiments, the user devices 108A-108D are electronic tattoos.The electronic tattoos may be epidermal electronic sensing (“EES”)devices that attach to the skin of the users 110A-110D and contain anarray of electronic components for performing various operations of theuser devices 108A-108D described herein. In some other embodiments, theuser devices 108A-108D are built-in to a shopping cart, shopping basket,or the like, and can be associated with the users 110A-110D upon entry,at checkout, or via other mechanisms.

The user devices 108A-108D, in some embodiments, are in communicationwith one or more secondary devices, which may be mobile devices,wearable devices, implanted devices, and/or electronic tattoos.Communication between the user devices 108A-108D and the secondarydevices can be facilitated by a short-range communications technologiessuch as, for example, BLUETOOTH, BLUETOOTH low energy (“BLE”), infrared,infrared data association (“IRDA”), near field communications (“NFC”),other RF technologies, or the like. Communication between the userdevices 108A-108D and the secondary devices can be facilitated by WI-FI,other wireless technologies, or wired technologies.

The user devices 108A-108D, in the illustrated example, are operating incommunication with and/or as part of a communications network(“network”) 122. The network 122 can include one or more wireless localarea networks (“WLANs”), one or more wireless wide area networks(“WWANS”), one or more wireless metropolitan area networks (“WMANs”),one or more campus area networks (“CANs”), and/or one or more packetdata networks (e.g., the Internet). The user devices 108A-108D cancommunicate with the network 122 using any wireless communicationstechnology or combination of wireless communications technologies, someexamples of which include, but are not limited to, WI-FI, Global Systemfor Mobile communications (“GSM”), Code Division Multiple Access(“CDMA”) ONE, CDMA2000, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System(“UMTS”), Long-Term Evolution (“LTE”), Worldwide Interoperability forMicrowave Access (“WiMAX”), other Institute of Electrical andElectronics Engineers (“IEEE”) 802.XX technologies, and the like. Theuser devices 108A-108D can communicate with the network 122 via variouschannel access methods (which may or may not be used by theaforementioned technologies), including, but not limited to, TimeDivision Multiple Access (“TDMA”), Frequency Division Multiple Access(“FDMA”), CDMA, wideband CDMA (“W-CDMA”), Orthogonal Frequency DivisionMultiplexing (“OFDM”), Single-Carrier FDMA (“SC-FDMA”), Space DivisionMultiple Access (“SDMA”), and the like. Data can be exchanged betweenthe user devices 108A-108D and the network 122 via cellular datatechnologies such as, but not limited to, General Packet Radio Service(“GPRS”), Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution (“EDGE”), theHigh-Speed Packet Access (“HSPA”) protocol family including High-SpeedDownlink Packet Access (“HSDPA”), Enhanced Uplink (“EUL”) or otherwisetermed High-Speed Uplink Packet Access (“HSUPA”), Evolved HSPA(“HSPA+”), LTE, and/or various other current and future wireless dataaccess technologies. It should be understood that the network 122 mayadditionally include infrastructure that operates on wiredcommunications technologies, including, but not limited to, opticalfiber, coaxial cable, twisted pair cable, and the like to transfer databetween various systems operating on or in communication with thenetwork 122. Additional details regarding an illustrative example of thenetwork 122 is illustrated and described with reference to FIG. 15.

The network 122 is illustrated as being in communication with a networklocation system 124. The network location system 124 can provide to theuser devices 108A-108D location information associated with a locationof the user devices 108A-108D by leveraging one or more network-basedlocation determining techniques, such as, but not limited to, cellulartriangulation, WI-FI triangulation, cell ID, forward link timing, orsome combination thereof.

The location of the user devices 108A alternatively or additionally canbe determined by the location component(s) 120. In some embodiments, thelocation component(s) 120 include a global positioning system (“GPS”)component. In some other embodiments, the location component(s) 120include a short-range communications component that can communicate withone or more of the plurality of location beacons 106A-106D to determinethe location of the user device A 108A within the store premises 102. Inthese embodiments, the short-range communications component can utilizeBLUETOOTH, BLE, infrared, IRDA, NFC, other RF technologies, otherlight-based technologies, combinations thereof, and the like tocommunicate with one or more of the plurality of location beacons106A-106D to determine the location of the user device A 108A within thestore premises 102. Other technologies, including quick response codes,barcodes, three-dimensional barcodes, and the like may be used by theuser device A 108A to establish location within the store premises 102.The other user devices 108B-108D may be similarly configured.

The user devices 108A-108D, in the illustrated example, are additionallyoperating in communication with and/or as part of a store communicationsnetwork (“store network”) 126. The store network 126 can include one ormore wireless LANs and may additionally include one or more wired LANs.In some embodiments, the store network 126 includes one or more wirelessaccess points (not shown) that operate in accordance with IEEE 802.11Xspecifications to provide the user devices 108A-108D wirelessconnectivity to the store network 126 through which the user devices108A-108D can communicate with a store analytics system 128, a storelocation system 130, the visual orientation system 114, and a storedatabase 134. The store analytics system 128, the store location system130, the visual orientation system 114, and the store database 134 cancommunicate with each other via the store network 126.

The illustrated store analytics system 128 includes a store analyticsapplication 136, a logical group predictor application 138, and a userbehavior predictor application 140. The store analytics application 136,the logical group predictor application 138, and the user behaviorpredictor application 140 can be stored in a memory or other storagecomponent (best shown in FIG. 14) of the store analytics system 128 andcan be executed by one or more processors (also best shown in FIG. 14)of the store analytics system 128 to perform various operationsdescribed herein. For example, execution of the store analyticsapplication 136 can cause the store analytics system 128 to interactwith one or more of the user devices 108A-108D, the store network 126,the store database 134, the store location system 130, and/or the visualorientation system 114. Some operations performed by the store analyticssystem 128 will be described immediately below, and others will becomeapparent from the other FIGURES described herein.

The store analytics application 136 can be executed by one or moreprocessors of the store analytics system 128 to perform operations, suchas, for example, measuring, collecting, analyzing, and reporting dataassociated with the store premises 102, products for sale within thestore premises 102, advertisements within the store premises 102, andcustomers, such as the user A 110A, of the store premises 102. This datacan include, for example, customer data 142, store data 144, productdata 146, and advertisement data 148 as shown in the store database 134.The store analytics system 128 can save data to the store database 134,retrieve data from the store database 134, delete data from the storedatabase 134, edit data and save edited data to the store database 134,and manipulate data stored within the store database 134.

The customer data 142 can include data associated with one or morecustomers such as the user A 110A. For example, the customer data 142can include identity data such as name, birth date, gender, one or morephysical addresses, one or more telephone numbers, one or more emailaddresses, social network information, customer account informationincluding account identifiers and/or user identifiers, and/or jobinformation. The customer data 142 can additionally or alternativelyinclude quantitative data, such as, for example, transactionalinformation such as the number of products purchased, details regardingthe products purchased, value of products purchased, and product returnhistory; communication information such as communication date,communication channel (e.g., telephone, email or social network) andcommunication subject; online activity such as website visits, productviews, online registration information, and social network activityincluding posts, likes, and other social network interactions; andcustomer service information such as customer complaint details andcustomer inquiry details. The customer data 142 can additionally oralternatively include descriptive data, such as, for example, maritalstatus, number of children, age of children, property type, car type,number of car doors, number and type of pets, annual income, profession,education level, and the like. The customer data 142 can additionally oralternatively include qualitative data, such as, for example,attitudinal information regarding how customers rate customer service,the value of a product, and the likelihood of purchasing a productagain; opinion information regarding customer's favorite colors,favorite vacation locations, and other personal opinions; and motionalinformation regarding why a product was purchased (e.g., personal use,business use or as a gift), one or more reasons for purchasing a product(e.g., locality, brand, price, and/or quality). The customer data alsocan include permission and suppression preferences. It should beunderstood that the customer data 142 can include any combination of theaforementioned data and other data associated with a customer that isnot specified herein.

The store data 144 can include data associated with various aspects ofthe store premises 102. For example, the store data 144 can includedimensions of the store premises 102, a layout of the store premises102, the location of each of the plurality of aisles 104A-104D and/orother areas (e.g., departments, restrooms, customer service, cashiers,and the like) within the store premises 102, and the location of each ofthe plurality of location beacons 106A-106D. It should be understoodthat the store data 144 can include any combination of theaforementioned data and other data associated with the store premises102 that is not specified herein.

The product data 146 can include data associated with one or moreproducts available for purchase within the store premises 102. Theproduct data 146 can include, for example, category, title, description,image, uniform resource locator (“URL”) for corresponding web page on awebsite associated with the store premises 102, stock keeping unit(“SKU”), universal product code (“UPC”), shelf-life, wholesale price,retail price, location within the store premises 102, quantity-on-hand,quantity-on-order, and backorder status. It should be understood thatthe product data 146 can include any combination of the aforementioneddata and other data associated with products that is not specifiedherein.

The advertisement data 148 can include data associated with one or moreadvertisements on display, previously on display or scheduled to be ondisplay within the store premises 102. The advertisement data 148 caninclude identifiers that map to products for which data is stored aspart of the product data 146 and for which one or more advertisementsare available. The advertisement data 148 can additionally includeadvertisement category, advertisement title, advertisement description,advertisement price, advertisement restrictions, advertisement startdate, and/or advertisement expiration date. It should be understood thatthe advertisement data 148 can include any combination of theaforementioned data and other data associated with products that is notspecified herein.

It is contemplated that the store database 134 can store other data thatdoes not fall into one or more of the aforementioned data categories. Assuch, the inclusion of the aforementioned data categories in the storedatabase 134 should not be construed as being limiting in any way.

The user behavior predictor application 140 can be executed by one ormore processors of the store analytics system 128 to determine behaviorpatterns of one or more users, such as the users 110A-110D. The behaviorpatterns can include time of day, day of week, duration, locationsvisited within the store premises 102, items viewed, items purchased,customer service interactions, method of payment, purchase amounts,and/or any other information, such as any of the customer data 142,aggregated over time to generate the behavior patterns of one or moreusers. The behavior patterns can be utilized by the user behaviorpredictor application 140 to predict the behavior of one or more usersonce the user(s) is located within the store premises 102.

The logical group predictor application 138 can be executed by one ormore processors of the store analytics system 128 to perform operations.The logical group predictor application 138 can utilize user informationsuch as, but not limited to, the customer data 142 and/or user behaviorpatterns for a plurality of user located within the store premises 102,user device information associated with the devices of the users, and/orestimated fields-of-view of the users to identify at least onecommonality shared among the users. In the illustrated example, theusers 110A-110D form a logical group 111, which, can be utilized, insome embodiments, to provide customer service to a group of customers(e.g., the users 110A-110D) who are characterized, at least in part, byone or more commonalities, some examples of which include, but are notlimited to, a purpose for his or her visit to the store premises 102, apredominant location or an predicted predominate location within thestore premises 102, a predicted duration of visit, a predicted time tocheckout, a predicted purchase amount, the like, and combinationsthereof. The predicted commonalities can be predicted based, at least inpart, upon user history, including, for example, past locations, pastdurations of visit, past checkout times (e.g., elapsed time within thestore premises 102 before checkout or elapsed time during checkout),past purchase amounts, the like, and combinations thereof.

The store location system 130 includes a store location application 150.The store location application 150 can be stored in a memory or otherstorage component (best shown in FIG. 14) of the store location system130 and can be executed by one or more processors (also best shown inFIG. 14) of the store location system 130 to perform various operationsdescribed herein. For example, execution of the store locationapplication 150 can cause the store location system 130 to communicatewith one or more of the plurality of location beacons 106A-106D todetermine a location of a user device such as the user device A 108A,and in this manner also a user such as the user A 110A, within the storepremises 102. The store location system 130 alternatively oradditionally can rely on network information from the store network 126to triangulate the location of the user device A 108A. Other indoorlocation determining techniques may be utilized to determine thelocation of the user device A 108A within the store premises 102.

The visual orientation system 114 includes a visual orientationapplication 152. The visual orientation application 152 can be stored ina memory or other storage component (best shown in FIG. 14) of thevisual orientation system 114 and can be executed by one or moreprocessors (also best shown in FIG. 14) of the visual orientation system114 to perform various operations described herein. For example,execution of the visual orientation application 152 can cause the visualorientation system 114 to determine an estimated field-of-view of theuser A 110A based upon an orientation and a location of the user deviceA 108A at a given time, as will be described in greater detail hereinbelow with reference to FIG. 3.

Turning now to FIG. 1B, the operating environment 100 first introducedin FIG. 1A is again shown in FIG. 1B. Also shown in the operatingenvironment of FIG. 1B is a remote agent 154. The remote agent 154 isillustrated as being in communication with the network 122 and the storenetwork 126. In some embodiments, the remote agent 154 includes one ormore application servers and/or other software and/or hardware toprovide remote assistance to one or more customers via a human agentand/or a virtual agent who may or may not be associated with the storepremises 102, an owner of the store premises 102, an operator of thestore premises 102, and/or one or more vendors associated with the storepremises 102.

The remote agent 154 can receive a customer's estimated field-of-viewform the visual orientation system 114, a customer's store location fromthe store location system 130, and other data, including, for example,at least a portion of the customer data 142, the store data 144, theproduct data 146, the advertisement data 148, user behavior, userlogical group association, combinations thereof, and the like from thestore analytics system 128. The remote agent 154 can utilize at least aportion of the aforementioned data to predict the interest(s) and/orneed(s) of the customer. Alternatively, the remote agent 154 can receivepredicted interest(s) and/or need(s). In either implementation, basedupon the predicted interest(s) and/or need(s) of the customer, theremote agent 154 can assist the customer.

In the illustrated embodiment, the remote agent 154 provides assistanceto customers via a connection established with a user device associatedwith the customer, such as the user device A 108A associated with theuser A 110A, via the network 122 or the store network 126. In otherembodiments, the remote agent 154 is provided as an application to auser device associated with the customer, such as the user device A 108Aassociated with the user A 110A, via the network 122 or the storenetwork 126. The remote agent 154, in these embodiments, can be executedby one or more processors of the user device to provide automatedassistance via a virtual agent and/or can initiate communication with ahuman agent via the network 122 and/or the store network 126.

Turning now to FIG. 1C, the operating environment 100 first introducedin FIG. 1A is again shown in FIG. 1C. Also shown in the operatingenvironment of FIG. 1C is a social network platform 156. The socialnetwork platform 156 is illustrated as being in communication with thenetwork 122 and the store network 126. In some embodiments, the socialnetwork platform 156 is or includes one or more platforms as a service(“PaaS”). In some embodiments, the social network platform 156 includesone or more application servers and/or other software and/or hardware toprovide one or more social network services.

The social networking services can include, but are not limited to,services for sharing or posting status updates, instant messages, links,photos, videos, and/or other information; services for commenting ordisplaying interest in articles, products, blogs, or other resources;and/or other services. In some embodiments, the social network platform156 provides, at least in part, the FACEBOOK social networking service,the LINKEDIN professional networking service, the MYSPACE socialnetworking service, the FOURSQUARE geographic networking service, theYAMMER office colleague networking service, and the like. In otherembodiments, the social networking platform 156 provides other services,sites, and/or providers that may or may not explicitly be known associal networking providers. For example, some web sites allow users tointeract with one another via email, chat services, and/or other meansduring various activities and/or contexts such as reading publishedarticles, commenting on goods or services, publishing, collaboration,gaming, and the like. Examples of such services include, but are notlimited to, the WINDOWS LIVE service and the XBOX LIVE service fromMicrosoft Corporation in Redmond, Wash. Other services are possible andare contemplated.

The social networking services also can include commenting, blogging,and/or microblogging services. Examples of such services include, butare not limited to, the YELP commenting service, the KUDZU reviewservice, the OFFICETALK enterprise microblogging service, the TWITTERmessaging service, the GOOGLE BUZZ service, and/or other services. Itshould be appreciated that the above lists of services are notexhaustive and that numerous additional and/or alternative socialnetworking services are not mentioned herein for the sake of brevity. Assuch, the above embodiments are illustrative, and should not beconstrued as being limiting in any way.

In some embodiments, the social network platform 156 receives acustomer's estimated field-of-view from the visual orientation system114 and utilizes the estimated field-of-view to determine one or moreitems the customers has an interest in. The social network platform 156can generate one or more offers directed to one or more members of thesocial network platform 156. The social network platform 156 can providethe offer(s) to the member(s) via, for example, an interface providedvia the social network platform 156.

An offer can be or can include an opportunity for the member(s) toprovide assistance to the customer with regard to the item(s) thecustomer has an interest in as determined based upon the customer'sestimated field-of-view. The member(s) can provide assistance via audio,video, text, messaging, telephone call, video call, or othercommunications, including real-time, near-real-time, through aconnection established between the social network platform 156 and auser device associated with the customer, such as the user device A 108Aassociated with the user A 110A. In some embodiments, an offer includesone or more incentives to incentivize the member(s) to assist thecustomer.

An incentive can be or can include employee incentives such as if themember(s) is/are employed by the store owner and/or operator or by oneor more vendors who sell the item(s) the customer is interested in. Anincentive can be a consumer incentive provided by the store owner and/oroperator and/or one or more by one or more vendors who sell the item(s)the customer is interested in. Incentives can be cash, merchandise, giftcards/certificates, travel, experiential, vacation time, points towardsa points program, combinations thereof, and the like. Other incentivesare contemplated, and therefore the aforementioned examples should notbe construed as limiting in any way.

The member(s) of the social network platform 156 to which an offer issent can be determined based, at least in part, upon the member(s)identifying themselves of having knowledge of the item(s) the customeris interested in. It is contemplated that members with greater knowledgemay receive more offers than those with lesser knowledge, althoughmembers may have an equal opportunity to provide their assistance. Themember(s) of the social network platform 156 can opt-in to providingassistance and may be incentivized just for opting-in. Additionaldetails regarding aspects of the social network platform 156 will bedescribed below with reference to FIG. 12.

Turning now to FIG. 2, a method 200 for determining an estimatedfield-of-view of the user A 110A from the perspective of the user deviceA 108A will be described, according to an illustrative embodiment. Theother user devices 108B-108D can perform similar methods to determine anestimated field-of-view of the users 110B-110D, respectively. It shouldbe understood that the operations of the methods disclosed herein arenot necessarily presented in any particular order and that performanceof some or all of the operations in an alternative order(s) is possibleand is contemplated. The operations have been presented in thedemonstrated order for ease of description and illustration. Operationsmay be added, omitted, and/or performed simultaneously, withoutdeparting from the scope of the concepts and technologies disclosedherein.

It also should be understood that the methods disclosed herein can beended at any time and need not be performed in its entirety. Some or alloperations of the methods, and/or substantially equivalent operations,can be performed by execution of computer-readable instructions includedon a computer storage media, as defined herein. The term“computer-readable instructions,” and variants thereof, as used herein,is used expansively to include routines, applications, applicationmodules, program modules, programs, components, data structures,algorithms, and the like. Computer-readable instructions can beimplemented on various system configurations including single-processoror multiprocessor systems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, personalcomputers, hand-held computing devices, microprocessor-based,programmable consumer electronics, combinations thereof, and the like.

Thus, it should be appreciated that the logical operations describedherein are implemented (1) as a sequence of computer implemented acts orprogram modules running on a computing system and/or (2) asinterconnected machine logic circuits or circuit modules within thecomputing system. The implementation is a matter of choice dependent onthe performance and other requirements of the computing system.Accordingly, the logical operations described herein are referred tovariously as states, operations, structural devices, acts, or modules.These states, operations, structural devices, acts, and modules may beimplemented in software, in firmware, in special purpose digital logic,and any combination thereof. As used herein, the phrase “cause aprocessor to perform operations” and variants thereof is used to referto causing a processor of a computing system or device, such as, forexample, one or more of the plurality of beacons 106A-106D, one or moreof the user devices 108A-108D, the network location system 124, thestore analytics system 128, the store location system 130, or the visualorientation system 114 to perform one or more operations and/or causingthe processor to direct other components of the computing system ordevice to perform one or more of the operations.

For purposes of illustrating and describing the concepts of the presentdisclosure, operations of the methods disclosed herein are described asbeing performed by one or more of the user devices 108A-108D, thenetwork location system 124, the store analytics system 128, the storelocation system 130, the visual orientation system 114, or the storedatabase 134 alone or in combination via execution of one or moresoftware modules such as, for example, the device application 116, thestore analytics application 136, the logical group predictor application138, the user behavior predictor application 140, the store locationapplication 150, the visual orientation application 152, and/or othersoftware/firmware components described herein. It should be understoodthat additional and/or alternative devices and/or network nodes canprovide the functionality described herein via execution of one or moremodules, applications, and/or other software. Thus, the illustratedembodiments are illustrative, and should not be viewed as being limitingin any way.

The method 200 will be described as being performed by the user device A108A with reference to FIGS. 1A and 2. The method 200 begins andproceeds to operation 202, where the user device A 108A determines astarting location for the user A 110A based upon the location of theuser device A 108A. In some embodiments, the location component 120,embodied as a GPS component, acquires a GPS fix for the user device A108A. In some embodiments, the location component 120, embodied as ashort-range communications component, acquires location information fromone or more of the plurality of beacons 106A-106D. In these embodiments,the location information may identify the location of one or more of theplurality of beacons 106A-106D, or alternatively the locationinformation may be used by the user device A 108A in a query to thestore location system 130 to acquire the location of the user device A108A. In some other embodiments, the user device A 108A receiveslocation information directly from the store location system 130, whichmay determine the location of the user device A 108A via WI-FItriangulation and/or beacon triangulation techniques, for example. Insome other embodiments, the user device A 108A receives locationinformation from the network location system 124.

From operation 202, the method 200 proceeds to operation 204, where theuser device A 108A determines an orientation of the user device A 108Aat various times. More particularly, the orientation sensor(s) 118,embodied as a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a compass, a gyrocompass,and/or the like, for example, can determine the orientation of the userdevice A 108A and the direction of movement of the user device A 108A asthe user A 110A navigates through the store premises 102. As the user A110A navigates through the store premises 102, the device application116 can request sensor output from the orientation sensor(s) 118 attimes T₁ . . . T_(n). The sensor output can be used by the deviceapplication 116 to determine the orientation of the user device A 108Aat times T₁ . . . T_(n).

In addition, or in the alternative, the orientation of the user device A108A can be determined based upon parameters such as, but not limitedto, gait, pace, speed, and/or direction of the user A 110A as measuredby the user device A 108A. For example, a person walking down an aislemay exhibit different motion characteristics than a person steppingsideways in front of a display, or stepping up a stair, or walking up aramp, or pushing a cart. Such motion characteristics can help confirm aperson's rotational position relative to the user device A 108A. After aperson's rotational position relative to the user device A 108A isascertained, the orientation sensor(s) 118 in the user device A 108A canbe used to determine changes.

From operation 204, the method 200 proceeds to operation 206, where theuser device A 108A uses the orientation sensor(s) 118 to detect that theuser device A 108A has stopped at time T_(x). For example, anaccelerometer output may indicate no movement or movement below apre-defined movement threshold that is indicative of the user device A108A being stopped. From operation 206, the method 200 proceeds tooperation 208, where the user device A 108A determines an orientation ofthe user device A 108A at time T_(x). In particular, the deviceapplication 116 can request sensor output from a gyroscope of theorientation sensor(s) 118 at time T_(x). Additionally, at operation 206,the user device A 108A determines the location of the user device A 108Aat time T_(x). In some embodiments, the location component 120, embodiedas a GPS component, acquires a GPS fix for the user device A 108A. Insome embodiments, the location component 120, embodied as a short-rangecommunications component, acquires location information from one or moreof the plurality of beacons 106A-106D. In these embodiments, thelocation information may identify the location of one or more of theplurality of beacons 106A-106D, or alternatively the locationinformation may be used by the user device A 108A in a query to thestore location system 130 to acquire the location of the user device A108A. In some other embodiments, the user device A 108A receiveslocation information directly from the store location system 130, whichmay determine the location of the user device A 108A via WI-FItriangulation and/or beacon triangulation techniques, for example. Insome other embodiments, the user device A 108A receives locationinformation from the network location system 124. In some otherembodiments, the user device A 108A uses the starting locationdetermined at operation 202 and data obtained from the orientationsensor(s) 118 to estimate the distance traveled by the user A 110A fromthe starting location.

From operation 208, the method 200 proceeds to operation 210, where theuser device A 108A generates a message. The message can include theorientation of the user device A 108A and the location of the userdevice A 108A at time T_(x) as determined at operation 206. Fromoperation 210, the method 200 proceeds to operation 212, where the userdevice A 108A sends the message to the visual orientation system 114. Inresponse, at operation 214, the user device A 108A receives informationassociated with one or more items that are located within an estimatedfield-of-view of the user A 110A and presents the information to theuser A 110A via a display, speakers or other output component (notshown) of the user device A 108A. The visual orientation system 114 candetermine the estimated field-of-view of the user A 110A within varyingaccuracy to the actual field-of-view 112A of the user A 110A.

In some embodiments, the information includes additional informationabout the item(s) estimated by the visual orientation system 114 to bewithin the actual field-of-view 112A of the user A 110A. The additionalinformation can include, for example, any of the product data 146associated with the item(s) estimated by the visual orientation system114 to be within the actual field-of-view 112A of the user A 110A. Inaddition, or in the alternative, the additional information can include,for example, any of the advertisement data 148 associated with theitem(s) estimated by the visual orientation system 114 to be within theactual field-of-view 112A of the user A 110A.

In some other embodiments, the information includes customer serviceinformation regarding the item(s) estimated by the visual orientationsystem 114 to be within the actual field-of-view 112A of the user A110A. In this manner, customer service personnel can offer, via text,audio and/or video communications established via the store network 126,to assist the user A 110A with the item(s) estimated by the visualorientation system 114 to be within the actual field-of-view 112A of theuser A 110A. The customer service personnel may be real or virtual. Thecustomer service personnel may be located within the store premises 102or remote. Additional details regarding interactions between customerservice personnel and the user A 110A will be described below withreference to FIG. 6.

The estimated field-of-view is determined by the visual orientationsystem 114 as will be described in greater detail below with referenceto FIG. 3. The estimated field-of-view can be utilized by the storeanalytics system 128 to determine one or more items that are estimatedto be visible to the user A 110A. Over time through the analysis ofestimated fields-of-view of a plurality of customers navigating throughthe store premises 102, the store analytics system 128 can determinewhat items customers are viewing, how long customers are viewing thoseitems, and whether advertisements for customers translated into sales,among other metrics that may be useable by an owner and/or operator ofthe store premises 102, an item manufacturer, an item distributor, anitem advertiser, and/or other entities. Metrics such as those describedabove may be used by an owner and/or operator of the store premises 102,an item manufacturer, an item distributor, an item advertiser, and/orother entities for item placement decisions, marketing strategies,events, sales performance analysis, and other uses. It is contemplatedthat metrics from the store premises 102 can be aggregated with metricsfrom one or more additional stores. This aggregate data can be analyzedto determine which stores are performing better with respect to specificproduct visibility and/or advertisement effectiveness. Metrics from thestore premises 102 and/or additional stores may be presented via asoftware dashboard so that provides a real-time data view and/or ahistorical data view to determine how many customers view a particularproduct or advertisement within a particular time period such as now,this week, last week, last month, the last year, or any other timeperiod, which may be pre-defined or defined on-the-fly.

In some other embodiments, the information includes recalledinformation. Recalled information can include any information previouslypresented to the user A 110A when the current estimated field-of-viewmatches a previous estimated field-of-view. A match may be an exactmatch or an approximated match. In some embodiments, the recalledinformation provides the user A 110A with information associated withthe previous estimated field-of-view and may be compared to informationassociated with the current estimated field-of-view. In this manner, theuser A 110A can be presented with information reminiscent of past andpresent for a particular field-of-view. The past information may containinformation not previously presented to the user A 110A but derived froma common database. The common database may be or may include data suchas stored in the store database 134, or the common database may be animage or video of the user's estimated field-of-view from some time inthe past. The latter may be useful for a number of types ofapplications, such as to show a product distributor what their shelfplacement used to look like before an improvement and then after. Or, ina different manner, the view of a past version of a predictedfield-of-view may enable a user to view what an external environmentlooked like at some time in the past, for instance, to compare anexternal environment before and after the completion of a constructionproject.

From operation 214, the method 200 proceeds to operation 216. The method200 ends at operation 216.

In some embodiments, the orientation, location, and/or field-of-view canbe validated by the user A 110A through the device application 116. Forexample, the device application 116 may elicit a response from the userA 110A to a coupon, discount offer, promotion, or other prompt tovalidate the orientation, location, and/or field-of-view of the user A110A.

Turning now to FIG. 3, a method 300 for determining an estimatedfield-of-view of the user A 110A from the perspective of the visualorientation system 114 will be described, according to an illustrativeembodiment. The method 300 will be described as being performed by thevisual orientation system 114 with reference to FIGS. 1 A and 3.Although the method 300 is described from the perspective of the visualorientation system 114 communicating with the user device A 108A,similar methods can be performed with the other user devices 108B-108D.

The method 300 begins and proceeds to operation 302, where the visualorientation system 114 receives the message generated by the user deviceA 108A at operation 210 of the method 200 described above. Fromoperation 302, the method 300 proceeds to operation 304, where thevisual orientation system 114 determines the estimated field-of-view ofthe user A 110A based upon the orientation and the location of the userdevice A 108A at time T_(x) and a potential field-of-view of the user A110A. The potential field-of-view of the user A 110A is the visual fieldthat the user A 110A is physically capable of viewing when unobstructed.The potential field-of-view may be obtained from the customer data 142stored in the store database 134 or may be included by the user device A108A in the message received at operation 302. Using the orientation andthe location of the user device A 108A and the potential field-of-viewof the user A 110A, the visual orientation system 114 can determine theestimated field-of-view of the user A 110A and return one or more itemslocated within that location of the store premises 102 and estimated tobe visible to the user A 110A based upon the orientation of the userdevice A 108A (i.e., which direction the user A 110A is facing) and areaviewable to the user A 110A based upon the user's potentialfield-of-view.

From operation 304, the method 300 proceeds to operation 306, where thevisual orientation system 114 generates a query directed to the storedatabase 134. The query can include a request to look-up items locatedwithin the estimated field-of-view of the user A 110A. From operation306, the method 300 proceeds to operation 308, where the visualorientation system 114 receives a query response from the store database134. The query response can include one or more items that are locatedwithin the estimated field-of-view of the user A 110A. From operation308, the method 300 proceeds to operation 310, where the visualorientation system 114 notifies the store analytics system 128 of theone or more items located within the estimated field-of-view of the userA 110A.

The one or more items located within the estimated field-of-view of theuser A 110A, alone or in aggregate with other estimated fields-of-view,can be used by the store analytics system 128 for analysis to determinewhat items customers are viewing, how long customers are viewing thoseitems, and whether advertisements for customers translated into sales,among other metrics that may be useable by an owner and/or operator ofthe store premises 102, an item manufacturer, an item distributor, anitem advertiser, and/or other entities. Metrics such as those describedabove may be used by an owner and/or operator of the store premises 102,an item manufacturer, an item distributor, an item advertiser, and/orother entities for item placement decisions, marketing strategies,events, sales performance analysis, and other uses. For instance, astore operator may be able to make determinations about which productsor which locations within the store premises 102 get more, or less,“eyeball traffic.” With such analytics intelligence, the store operatormay be able to upsell item distributors to purchase higher priced shelfspace or shelf space in a different location that is nearby othercomplementary merchandise. Also, the store analytics system 128 mayproduce data that indicates which products on a user's visual peripheryare more likely to have been seen based on the period of time the user A110A spent at that location.

From operation 310, the method 300 proceeds to operation 312. The method300 ends at operation 312.

Turning now to FIG. 4, a method 400 for determining an estimatedfield-of-view of the user A 110A from the perspective of the storeanalytics system 128 will be described, according to an illustrativeembodiment. The method 400 will be described as being performed by thestore analytics system 128 with reference to FIGS. 1A and 4. Althoughthe method 400 is described from the perspective of the store analyticssystem 128 communicating with the user device A 108A, similar methodscan be performed with the other user devices 108B-108D.

The method 400 begins and proceeds to operation 402, where the storeanalytics system 128 receives the notification from the visualorientation system 114. From operation 402, the method 400 proceeds tooperation 404, where the store analytics system 128 determinesinformation associated with the one or more items for presentation tothe user A 110A. From operation 404, the method 400 proceeds tooperation 406, where the store analytics system 128 sends theinformation associated with the one or more items to the user device A108A.

In some embodiments, the information includes additional informationabout the item(s) estimated by the visual orientation system 114 to bewithin the actual field-of-view 112A of the user A 108A. The additionalinformation can include, for example, any of the product data 146associated with the item(s) estimated by the visual orientation system114 to be within the actual field-of-view 112A of the user A 108A. Or,the additional information can include, for example, any of the productdata 146 associated with the complementary or competing item(s)estimated by the visual orientation system 114 to be within the actualfield-of-view 112A of the user A 108A. In addition, or in thealternative, the additional information can include, for example, any ofthe advertisement data 148 associated with the item(s) estimated by thevisual orientation system 114 to be within the actual field-of-view 112Aof the user A 108A.

In some other embodiments, the information includes customer serviceinformation regarding the item(s) estimated by the visual orientationsystem 114 to be within the actual field-of-view 112A of the user A108A. In this manner, customer service personnel can offer, via text,audio and/or video communications established via the store network 126,to assist the user A 110A with the item(s) estimated by the visualorientation system 114 to be within the actual field-of-view A 112A ofthe user A 108A. The customer service personnel may be real or virtual.The customer service personnel may be located within the store premises102 or remote.

From operation 406, the method 400 proceeds to operation 408. The method400 ends at operation 408.

Turning now to FIG. 5, a method 500 for establishing a potentialfield-of-view of the user A 110A will be described, according to anillustrative embodiment. The method 500 will be described from theperspective of the user device A 108A executing, via one or moreprocessors, the device application 116. Although the method 500 isdescribed from the perspective of the user device A 108A, similarmethods can be performed by the other user devices 108B-108D.

The method 500 begins and proceeds to operation 502, where the userdevice A 108A launches the device application 116. From operation 502,the method 500 proceeds to operation 504, where the device application116 prompts the user A 110A to select a default potential field-of-viewor a custom potential field-of-view to be used by the visual orientationsystem 114 for determining which item(s), if any, are visible to theuser A 110A for a given location and orientation within the storepremises 102. From operation 504, the method 500 proceeds to operation506, where the device application 116 receives a selection of either thedefault potential field-of-view or the custom potential field-of-view.From operation 506, the method 500 proceeds to operation 508, where thedevice application 116 determines whether the selection received atoperation 506 is for the default potential field-of-view or for thecustom potential field-of-view.

If, at operation 508, the device application 116 determines that theselection received at operation 506 is for the default potentialfield-of-view, the method 500 proceeds from operation 508 to operation510. At operation 510, the device application 116 provides the defaultpotential field-of-view of the user A 110A to the visual orientationsystem 114 for use in determining an estimated field-of-view of the userA 110A.

The default potential field-of-view can be defined as a normal visualfield. In some embodiments, the normal visual field is defined inaccordance with optometry and ophthalmology standards for the normalhuman visual field, and as such, may be updated from time-to-time. Forexample, the normal human visual field is defined as an island of visionmeasuring 90 degrees temporally to central fixation, 50 degreessuperiorly and nasally, and 60 degrees inferiorly. Likewise, an abnormalfield of vision may be defined as a depression or absence of visionanywhere in the island of vision. The user A 110A may select the defaultpotential field-of-view if he or she knows, based upon a visionassessment, that his or her visual field is normal. The user A 110A mayselect the default potential field-of-view if he or she does not want tocustomize his or her potential field-of-view with the understanding thatthe visual orientation system 114 may therefore determine which item(s),if any, are visible to the user A 110A for a given location andorientation within the store premises 102 with decreased accuracy. Insome embodiments, the visual orientation system 114 can determine theestimated field-of-view of the user A 110A based upon the location andorientation of the user device, without the potential field of view.

From operation 510, the method 500 proceeds to operation 512. The method500 ends at operation 512.

If, at operation 508, the device application 116 determines that theselection received at operation 506 is for the custom potentialfield-of-view, the method 500 proceeds from operation 508 to operation514. At operation 514, the device application 116 loads a visual fieldtest. The visual field test, in some embodiments, is a standardizedvisual field test utilized by optometrists and ophthalmologists todetermine a patient's visual field that has been optimized for use onthe user device A 108A. For example, the visual field test may utilize asoftware-based multi-fixation campimeter, such as a version of or theDamato Multi-Fixation Campimeter available from www.testvision.org.

In some embodiments, the visual field test is included as part of thedevice application 116. In some other embodiments, the visual field testis available via a website accessible by a web browser installed on theuser device A 108A. In some other embodiments, the visual field test isavailable via a web application accessible by the web browser. In someother embodiments, the visual field test is included in anotherapplication installed on the user device A 108A. The remainingoperations of the method 500 will be described in accordance with anembodiment in which the visual field test is included as part of thedevice application 116.

From operation 514, the method 500 proceeds to operation 516, where thedevice application 116 receives user input during the visual field test.From operation 516, the method 500 proceeds to operation 518, where thedevice application 116 determines the custom potential field-of-view ofthe user A 110A based upon results of the visual field test. Forexample, the results of the visual field test may reveal blind spotsand/or other abnormalities of the visual field of the user A 110A. Theseabnormalities can be considered in determining the potentialfield-of-view of the user. As such, different users may have differentcustom potential field-of-views and therefore may affect which, if any,items each user may see when viewing an area of the store premises 102from the same location and orientation. From operation 518, the method500 proceeds to operation 520, where the device application 116 providesthe custom potential field-of-view of the user A 110A to the visualorientation system 114 for use by the visual orientation system 114 in adetermination of the estimated field-of-view of the user A 110A.

From operation 520, the method 500 proceeds to operation 512. The method500 ends at operation 512.

Turning now to FIG. 6, a method 600 for using an estimated field-of-viewof the user A 110A to provide customer service will be described,according to an illustrative embodiment. Although the method 600 isdescribed from the perspective of the store analytics system 128communicating with the user device A 108A, similar methods can beperformed with the other user devices 108B-108D.

The method 600 begins and proceeds to operation 602, where the storeanalytics system 128 receives a notification from the visual orientationsystem 114. The notification can identify one or more items within anestimated field-of-view of the user A 110A. From operation 602, themethod 600 proceeds to operation 604, where the store analytics system128 presents the notification to one or more customer service personnel.

From operation 604, the method 600 proceeds to operation 606, where thestore analytics system 128 receives input from the customer servicepersonnel to provide assistance to the user A 110A. In response, atoperation 608, the store analytics system 128 establishes acommunications session with the user device A 108A over the storenetwork 126 and/or the network 122, for example. The communicationssession may be a text-based chat session, a voice session (e.g., VoIP),a video session, or other session by which the customer servicepersonnel can communicate with the user A 110A to provide assistancewith regards to any of the one or more items within the estimatedfield-of-view of the user A 110A.

From operation 608, the method 600 proceeds to operation 610, where thecustomer service personnel provides assistance to the user A 110A viathe communications session. The customer service personnel may assistthe user A 110A in locating a particular item which may or may not bewithin the estimated field-of-view. The customer service personnel mayassist the user A 110A with past, present and/or future promotionsassociated with any of the one or more items within the estimatedfield-of-view of the user A 110A. The customer service personnel mayassist the user A 110A with selecting one or more of the items withinthe estimated field-of-view of the user A 110A that best suits his orher needs. It should be understood that the aforementioned assistanceexamples are merely exemplary and should not be construed as beinglimiting in any way.

From operation 610, the method 600 proceeds to operation 612. The method600 ends at operation 612.

In some embodiments, the customer service personnel may provideassistance to the user A 110A based upon information obtained from theuser device A 108A that may indicate that the user A 110A is havingdifficulty with some aspects of his or her shopping experience. Forexample, how long the user A 110A maintains the estimated field-of-viewmay be indicative of the user A 110A being unable to locate a particularitem or the user A 110A is having difficulty deciding which of manyitems he or she should purchase.

In some other embodiments, the user A 110A may provide input to the userdevice A 108A to instruct the user device A 108A to initiate thecommunications session with the store analytics system 128. In theseembodiments, the store analytics system 128 may request from the userdevice A 108A orientation and location information for querying thevisual orientation system to determine what, if any, items are locatedwithin the estimated field-of-view of the user A 110A so that thecustomer service personnel can be aware of what it is the user A 110A iscurrently viewing in order to better assist the user A 110A.

Turning now to FIG. 7, a method 700 for creating a logical group ofusers, such as the logical group 111 will be described, according to anillustrative embodiment. The method 700 will be described as beingperformed by the store analytics system 128 with reference to FIGS. 1Aand 7.

The method 700 begins and proceeds to operation 702, where the storeanalytics system 128 collects information associated with a plurality ofusers, such as the users 110A-110D, located within the store premises102. The information associated with the plurality of users can includeany of the user information described herein above, such as the customerdata 142. From operation 702, the method 700 proceeds to operation 704,where the store analytics system 128 collects information associatedwith a plurality of user devices, such as the user devices 108A-108D.The information associated with the plurality of user devices caninclude any of the device information described herein above, such asdevice location. The information associated with the plurality of userscan include any of the user information described herein above. Fromoperation 704, the method 700 proceeds to operation 706, where the storeanalytics system collects the estimated field-of-view for each of theusers 110A-110D.

From operation 706, the method 700 proceeds to operation 708, where thestore analytics system 128 analyzes the user information, the deviceinformation, and the field-of-view information for each of the users110A-110D to identify at least one commonality shared among at least twoof the users 110A-110D. A commonality can include, but is not limitedto, a purpose for a user's visit to the store premises 102, apredominant location or an predicted predominate location within thestore premises 102, a predicted duration of visit, a predicted time tocheckout, a predicted purchase amount, the like, and combinationsthereof. The predicted commonalities can be predicted based, at least inpart, upon user history, including, for example, past locations, pastdurations of visit, past checkout times (e.g., elapsed time within thestore premises 102 before checkout or elapsed time during checkout),past purchase amounts, the like, and combinations thereof. Fromoperation 708, the method 700 proceeds to operation 710, where the storeanalytics system 128 creates a logical grouping, such as the logicalgroup 111, of two or more of the users 110A-110D based upon the at leastone commonality identified at operation 708. From operation 710, themethod 700 proceeds to operation 712. The method 700 ends at operation712.

Turning now to FIG. 8, a method 800 for generating one or more offersdirected to a logical group of users, such as the logical group 111,will be described, according to an illustrative embodiment. The method800 begins and proceeds to operation 802, where the store analyticssystem 128 generates an offer directed to the logical group 111. Fromoperation 802, the method 800 proceeds to operation 804, where the storeanalytics system 128 sends the offer to the user devices (e.g., the userdevices 108A-108D) associated with the users (e.g., the users110A-110D). From operation 804, the method 800 proceeds to operation806. The method 800 ends at operation 806.

Turning now to FIG. 9, a method 900 for instructing customer servicepersonnel to accommodate a logical group of users, such as the logicalgroup 111, will be described, according to an illustrative embodiment.The method 900 begins and proceeds to operation 902, where the storeanalytics system 128 collects traffic pattern data of the logical group111 as the users 110A-110D in the logical group 111 move within thestore premises 102. Movement of the users 110A-110D within the storepremises 102 can be monitored via the store location system 130leveraging the plurality of location beacons 106A-106D and/or otherlocation techniques described herein.

From operation 902, the method 900 proceeds to operation 904, where thestore analytics system 128 generates a notification message to instructcustomer service personnel to accommodate the users 110A-110D in thelogical group 111. For example, the traffic pattern can be used topredict an increase in traffic within a portion of the store premises102, and the notification message can instruct the customer servicepersonnel to move to the portion in order to assist the users 110A-110Din the logical group 111. Similarly, the traffic pattern can be used topredict an increase in customers ready to checkout, and the notificationmessage can instruct the additional cashiers to deploy to accommodatethe increase in customers. From operation 904, the method 900 proceedsto operation 906, where the store analytics system 128 sends thenotification message to the customer service personnel. From operation906, the method 900 proceeds to operation 908. The method 900 ends atoperation 908.

Turning now to FIG. 10, a method 1000 for generating a group-specificoffer and causing in-store display signage, such as the signage 121, topresent the group-specific offer will be described, according to anillustrative embodiment. The method 1000 begins and proceeds tooperation 1002, where the store analytics system 128 determines anestimated visit duration for a logical group, such as the logical group111, at a location within the store premises 102. From operation 1002,the method 1000 proceeds to operation 1004, where the store analyticssystem 128 generates a group-specific offer for the location. Fromoperation 1004, the method 1000 proceeds to operation 1006, where thestore analytics system 128 causes an in-store display signage, such asthe signage 121, in the location to present the group-specific offer.From operation 1006, the method 1000 proceeds to operation 1008. Themethod 1000 ends at operation 1008.

Turning now to FIG. 11, a method 1100 for providing customer service viaa remote agent, such as the remote agent 154, will be described,according to an illustrative embodiment. The method 1100 will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 1B and 11. The method 1100 begins andproceeds to operation 1102, where the store analytics system 128collects information associated with a user, such as the user A 110A,located within the store premises 102. From operation 1102, the method1100 proceeds to operation 1104, where the store analytics system 128collects information associated with a user device, such as the userdevice A 108A, associated with the user located within the storepremises 102. From operation 1104, the method 1100 proceeds to operation1106, where the store analytics system 128 collects the estimatedfield-of-view of the user A 110A.

From operation 1106, the method 1100 proceeds to operation 1108, wherethe store analytics system 128 sends the user information, the deviceinformation, and the field-of-view to the remote agent 154. Fromoperation 1108, the method 1100 proceeds to operation 1110, where theremote agent 154 provides assistance to the user A 110A. The remoteagent 154 may assist the user A 110A in locating a particular item whichmay or may not be within the estimated field-of-view. The remote agent154 may assist the user A 110A with past, present and/or futurepromotions associated with any of the one or more items within theestimated field-of-view of the user A 110A. The remote agent 154 mayassist the user A 110A with selecting one or more of the items withinthe estimated field-of-view of the user A 110A that best suits his orher needs. It should be understood that the aforementioned assistanceexamples are merely exemplary and should not be construed as beinglimiting in any way.

From operation 1110, the method 1000 proceeds to operation 1112. Themethod 1100 ends at operation 1112.

Turning now to FIG. 12, a method 1200 for leveraging one or more membersof a social network platform, such as the social network platform 156,to provide assistance with regard to one or more items located within anestimated-field-of-view of a user, such as the user A 110A, will bedescribed, according to an illustrative embodiment. The method 1200 willbe described with reference to FIGS. 1C and 12. The method 1200 beginsand proceeds to operation 1202, where the store analytics system 128receives an indication of one or more items located within the estimatedfield-of-view of the user A 110A. From operation 1202, the method 1200proceeds to operation 1204, where the store analytics system 128generates a message directed to one or more members of the socialnetwork platform 156. From operation 1204, the method 1200 proceeds tooperation 1206, where the store analytics system 128 sends the messageto the social network platform 156.

From operation 1206, the method 1200 proceeds to operation 1208, wherethe social network platform 156 and the user device A 108A establish aconnection. From operation 1208, the method 1200 proceeds to operation1210, where one or more members of the social network platform 156provide assistance to the user A 110A with regard to the item(s) locatedwithin the estimated field-of-view of the user A 110A.

From operation 1210, the method 1200 proceeds to operation 1212. Themethod 1200 ends at operation 1212.

Turning now to FIG. 13, an illustrative mobile device 1300 andcomponents thereof will be described. In some embodiments, the userdevices 108A-108D described above, in part, with reference to FIGS.1A-1C can be configured as and/or can have an architecture similar oridentical to the mobile device 1300 described herein with respect toFIG. 13. It should be understood, however, that the user devices108A-108D may or may not include the functionality described herein withreference to FIG. 13. While connections are not shown between thevarious components illustrated in FIG. 13, it should be understood thatsome, none, or all of the components illustrated in FIG. 13 can beconfigured to interact with one other to carry out various devicefunctions. In some embodiments, the components are arranged so as tocommunicate via one or more busses (not shown). Thus, it should beunderstood that FIG. 13 and the following description are intended toprovide a general understanding of a suitable environment in whichvarious aspects of embodiments can be implemented, and should not beconstrued as being limiting in any way.

As illustrated in FIG. 13, the mobile device 1300 can include a display1302 for displaying data. According to various embodiments, the display1302 can be configured to display at least a portion of the customerdata 142, at least a portion of the store data 144, at least a portionof the product data 146, at least a portion of the advertisement data148, various graphical user interface (“GUI”) elements, text, images,video, virtual keypads and/or keyboards, messaging data, notificationmessages, metadata, internet content, device status, time, date,calendar data, device preferences, map and location data, customerservice interactions, combinations thereof, and the like. The mobiledevice 1300 also can include a processor 1304 and a memory or other datastorage device (“memory”) 1306. The processor 1304 can be configured toprocess data and/or can execute computer-executable instructions storedin the memory 1306. The computer-executable instructions executed by theprocessor 1304 can include, for example, an operating system 1308, oneor more applications 1310 such as the device application 116, othercomputer-executable instructions stored in a memory 1306, or the like.In some embodiments, the applications 1310 also can include a UIapplication (not illustrated in FIG. 13).

The UI application can interface with the operating system 1308 tofacilitate user interaction with functionality and/or data stored at themobile device 1300 and/or stored elsewhere, such as in the storedatabase 134. In some embodiments, the operating system 1308 can includea member of the SYMBIAN OS family of operating systems from SYMBIANLIMITED, a member of the WINDOWS MOBILE OS and/or WINDOWS PHONE OSfamilies of operating systems from MICROSOFT CORPORATION, a member ofthe PALM WEBOS family of operating systems from HEWLETT PACKARDCORPORATION, a member of the BLACKBERRY OS family of operating systemsfrom RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED, a member of the IOS family of operatingsystems from APPLE INC., a member of the ANDROID OS family of operatingsystems from GOOGLE INC., and/or other operating systems. Theseoperating systems are merely illustrative of some contemplated operatingsystems that may be used in accordance with various embodiments of theconcepts and technologies described herein and therefore should not beconstrued as being limiting in any way.

The UI application can be executed by the processor 1304 to aid a userin interacting with at least a portion of the customer data 142, atleast a portion of the store data 144, at least a portion of the productdata 146, at least a portion of the advertisement data 148, and/or otherdata associated with the store premises 102, the user devices 108A-108D,the network 122, the network location system 124, the store analyticssystem 128, the store location system 130, the visual orientation system114, the store database 134, and/or the other device and/or systems notspecifically described herein. The UI application can be executed by theprocessor 1304 to aid a user in answering/initiating calls,entering/deleting other data, entering and setting user IDs andpasswords for device access, configuring settings, manipulating addressbook content and/or settings, multimode interaction, interacting withother applications 1310, and otherwise facilitating user interactionwith the operating system 1308, the applications 1310, and/or othertypes or instances of data 1312 that can be stored at the mobile device1300.

According to various embodiments, the applications 1310 can include, forexample, the device application 116, a visual field test application, aweb browser application, presence applications, visual voice mailapplications, messaging applications, text-to-speech and speech-to-textapplications, add-ons, plug-ins, email applications, music applications,video applications, camera applications, location-based serviceapplications, power conservation applications, game applications,productivity applications, entertainment applications, enterpriseapplications, combinations thereof, and the like. The applications 1310,the data 1312, and/or portions thereof can be stored in the memory 1306and/or in a firmware 1314, and can be executed by the processor 1304.The firmware 1314 also can store code for execution during device powerup and power down operations. It should be appreciated that the firmware1314 can be stored in a volatile or non-volatile data storage deviceincluding, but not limited to, the memory 1306 and/or a portion thereof.

The mobile device 1300 also can include an input/output (“I/O”)interface 1316. The I/O interface 1316 can be configured to support theinput/output of data. In some embodiments, the I/O interface 1316 caninclude a hardwire connection such as a universal serial bus (“USB”)port, a mini-USB port, a micro-USB port, an audio jack, a PS2 port, anIEEE 1394 (“FIREWIRE”) port, a serial port, a parallel port, an Ethernet(RJ45) port, an RJ11 port, a proprietary port, combinations thereof, orthe like. In some embodiments, the mobile device 1300 can be configuredto synchronize with another device to transfer content to and/or fromthe mobile device 1300. In some embodiments, the mobile device 1300 canbe configured to receive updates to one or more of the applications 1310via the I/O interface 1316, though this is not necessarily the case. Insome embodiments, the I/O interface 1316 accepts I/O devices such askeyboards, keypads, mice, interface tethers, printers, plotters,external storage, touch/multi-touch screens, touch pads, trackballs,joysticks, microphones, remote control devices, displays, projectors,medical equipment (e.g., stethoscopes, heart monitors, and other healthmetric monitors), modems, routers, external power sources, dockingstations, combinations thereof, and the like. It should be appreciatedthat the I/O interface 1316 may be used for communications between themobile device 1300 and a network device or local device.

The mobile device 1300 also can include a communications component 1318.The communications component 1318 can be configured to interface withthe processor 1304 to facilitate wired and/or wireless communicationswith one or more networks, such as the network 122 and the store network126, and one or more of the plurality of beacons 106A-106D. In someembodiments, the communications component 1318 includes a multimodecommunications subsystem for facilitating communications via thecellular network and one or more other networks.

The communications component 1318, in some embodiments, includes one ormore transceivers. The one or more transceivers, if included, can beconfigured to communicate over the same and/or different wirelesstechnology standards with respect to one another. For example, in someembodiments one or more of the transceivers of the communicationscomponent 1318 may be configured to communicate using GSM, CDMAONE,CDMA2000, LTE, and various other 2G, 2.5G, 3G, 4G, and greatergeneration technology standards. Moreover, the communications component1318 may facilitate communications over various channel access methods(which may or may not be used by the aforementioned standards)including, but not limited to, TDMA, FDMA, W-CDMA, OFDM, SDMA, and thelike.

In addition, the communications component 1318 may facilitate datacommunications using GPRS, EDGE, the HSPA protocol family includingHSDPA, EUL or otherwise termed HSUPA, HSPA+, and various other currentand future wireless data access standards. In the illustratedembodiment, the communications component 1318 can include a firsttransceiver (“TxRx”) 1320A that can operate in a first communicationsmode (e.g., GSM). The communications component 1318 also can include anN^(th) transceiver (“TxRx”) 1320N that can operate in a secondcommunications mode relative to the first transceiver 1320A (e.g.,UMTS). While two transceivers 1320A-N (hereinafter collectively and/orgenerically referred to as “transceivers 1320”) are shown in FIG. 13, itshould be appreciated that less than two, two, or more than twotransceivers 1320 can be included in the communications component 1318.

The communications component 1318 also can include an alternativetransceiver (“Alt TxRx”) 1322 for supporting other types and/orstandards of communications. According to various contemplatedembodiments, the alternative transceiver 1322 can communicate usingvarious communications technologies such as, for example, WI-FI, WIMAX,BLUETOOTH, BLE, infrared, infrared data association (“IRDA”), near fieldcommunications (“NFC”), other RF technologies, combinations thereof, andthe like. As such, the alternative transceiver 1322 facilitatescommunications with one or more of the plurality of beacons 106A-106D.

In some embodiments, the communications component 1318 also canfacilitate reception from terrestrial radio networks, digital satelliteradio networks, internet-based radio service networks, combinationsthereof, and the like. The communications component 1318 can processdata from a network such as the Internet, an intranet, a broadbandnetwork, a WI-FI hotspot, an Internet service provider (“ISP”), adigital subscriber line (“DSL”) provider, a broadband provider,combinations thereof, or the like.

The mobile device 1300 also can include one or more sensors 1324. Thesensors 1324 can include temperature sensors, light sensors, air qualitysensors, movement sensors, orientation sensors (e.g., the orientationsensor(s) 118 shown in FIG. 1), noise sensors, proximity sensors, or thelike. As such, it should be understood that the sensors 1324 caninclude, but are not limited to, accelerometers, magnetometers,gyroscopes, infrared sensors, noise sensors, microphones, combinationsthereof, or the like. One or more of the sensors 1324 can be used todetect movement of the mobile device 1300. Additionally, audiocapabilities for the mobile device 1300 may be provided by an audio I/Ocomponent 1326. The audio I/O component 1326 of the mobile device 1300can include one or more speakers for the output of audio signals, one ormore microphones for the collection and/or input of audio signals,and/or other audio input and/or output devices.

The illustrated mobile device 1300 also can include a subscriberidentity module (“SIM”) system 1328. The SIM system 1328 can include auniversal SIM (“USIM”), a universal integrated circuit card (“UICC”)and/or other identity devices. The SIM system 1328 can include and/orcan be connected to or inserted into an interface such as a slotinterface 1330. In some embodiments, the slot interface 1330 can beconfigured to accept insertion of other identity cards or modules foraccessing various types of networks. Additionally, or alternatively, theslot interface 1330 can be configured to accept multiple subscriberidentity cards. Because other devices and/or modules for identifyingusers and/or the mobile device 1300 are contemplated, it should beunderstood that these embodiments are illustrative, and should not beconstrued as being limiting in any way.

The mobile device 1300 also can include an image capture and processingsystem 1332 (“image system”). The image system 1332 can be configured tocapture or otherwise obtain photos, videos, and/or other visualinformation. As such, the image system 1332 can include cameras, lenses,charge-coupled devices (“CCDs”), combinations thereof, or the like. Themobile device 1300 may also include a video system 1334. The videosystem 1334 can be configured to capture, process, record, modify,and/or store video content. Photos and videos obtained using the imagesystem 1332 and the video system 1334, respectively, may be added asmessage content to an MMS message, email message, and sent to anothermobile device. The video and/or photo content also can be shared withother devices via various types of data transfers via wired and/orwireless communication devices as described herein.

The mobile device 1300 also can include one or more location components13313 (e.g., the location component(s) 120 described above withreference to FIG. 1). The location components 1336 can be configured tosend and/or receive signals to determine a location of the mobile device1300. According to various embodiments, the location components 1336 cansend and/or receive signals from GPS devices, assisted-GPS (“A-GPS”)devices, WI-FI/WIMAX and/or cellular network triangulation data,combinations thereof, and the like. The location component 1336 also canbe configured to communicate with the communications component 1318 toretrieve triangulation data for determining a location of the mobiledevice 1300. In some embodiments, the location component 1336 caninterface with cellular network nodes, telephone lines, satellites,location transmitters and/or beacons, wireless network transmitters andreceivers, combinations thereof, and the like. In some embodiments, thelocation component 1336 can include and/or can communicate with one ormore of the sensors 1324 such as a compass, an accelerometer, and/or agyroscope to determine the orientation of the mobile device 1300. Usingthe location component 1336, the mobile device 1300 can generate and/orreceive data to identify its geographic location, or to transmit dataused by other devices to determine the location of the mobile device1300. The location component 1336 may include multiple components fordetermining the location and/or orientation of the mobile device 1300.

The illustrated mobile device 1300 also can include a power source 1338.The power source 1338 can include one or more batteries, power supplies,power cells, and/or other power subsystems including alternating current(“AC”) and/or direct current (“DC”) power devices. The power source 1338also can interface with an external power system or charging equipmentvia a power I/O component 1340. Because the mobile device 1300 caninclude additional and/or alternative components, the above embodimentshould be understood as being illustrative of one possible operatingenvironment for various embodiments of the concepts and technologiesdescribed herein. The described embodiment of the mobile device 1300 isillustrative, and should not be construed as being limiting in any way.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating a computer system 1400configured to provide the functionality described herein in accordancewith various embodiments of the concepts and technologies disclosedherein. In some embodiments, the user devices 108A-108D, the storeanalytics system 128, the store location system 130, and/or the visualorientation system 114, can be configured as and/or can have anarchitecture similar or identical to the computer system 1400 describedherein with respect to FIG. 14. It should be understood, however, thatthe user devices 108A-108D, the store analytics system 128, the storelocation system 130, and/or the visual orientation system 114 may or maynot include the functionality described herein with reference to FIG.14.

The computer system 1400 includes a processing unit 1402, a memory 1404,one or more user interface devices 1406, one or more input/output(“I/O”) devices 1408, and one or more network devices 1410, each ofwhich is operatively connected to a system bus 1412. The bus 1412enables bi-directional communication between the processing unit 1402,the memory 1404, the user interface devices 1406, the I/O devices 1408,and the network devices 1410.

The processing unit 1402 may be a standard central processor thatperforms arithmetic and logical operations, a more specific purposeprogrammable logic controller (“PLC”), a programmable gate array, orother type of processor known to those skilled in the art and suitablefor controlling the operation of the computer system 1400. Processingunits are generally known, and therefore are not described in furtherdetail herein.

The memory 1404 communicates with the processing unit 1402 via thesystem bus 1412. In some embodiments, the memory 1404 is operativelyconnected to a memory controller (not shown) that enables communicationwith the processing unit 1402 via the system bus 1412. The memory 1404includes an operating system 1414 and one or more program modules 1416.The operating system 1414 can include, but is not limited to, members ofthe WINDOWS, WINDOWS CE, and/or WINDOWS MOBILE families of operatingsystems from MICROSOFT CORPORATION, the LINUX family of operatingsystems, the SYMBIAN family of operating systems from SYMBIAN LIMITED,the BREW family of operating systems from QUALCOMM CORPORATION, the MACOS, and/or iOS families of operating systems from APPLE CORPORATION, theFREEBSD family of operating systems, the SOLARIS family of operatingsystems from ORACLE CORPORATION, other operating systems, and the like.

The program modules 1416 may include various software and/or programmodules described herein. In some embodiments, for example, the programmodules 1416 include the device application 116, the store analyticsapplication 136, the logical group predictor application 138, the userbehavior predictor application 140, the store location application 150,or the visual orientation application 152. The device application 116,the store analytics application 136, the logical group predictorapplication 138, the user behavior predictor application 140, the storelocation application 150, the visual orientation application 152, and/orother software programs can be embodied in computer-readable mediacontaining instructions that, when executed by the processing unit 1402,perform at least a portion of one or more of the methods 200, 300, 400,500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1100, 1200 described in detail above withrespect to FIGS. 2-12. According to embodiments, the program modules1416 may be embodied in hardware, software, firmware, or any combinationthereof. Although not shown in FIG. 14, it should be understood that thememory 1404 also can be configured to store all or a portion of thestore database 134 and/or other data, if desired.

By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media mayinclude any available computer storage media or communication media thatcan be accessed by the computer system 1400. Communication mediaincludes computer-readable instructions, data structures, programmodules, or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier waveor other transport mechanism and includes any delivery media. The term“modulated data signal” means a signal that has one or more of itscharacteristics changed or set in a manner as to encode information inthe signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication mediaincludes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection,and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wirelessmedia. Combinations of the any of the above should also be includedwithin the scope of computer-readable media.

Computer storage media includes volatile and non-volatile, removable andnon-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storageof information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures,program modules, or other data. Computer storage media includes, but isnot limited to, RAM, ROM, Erasable Programmable ROM (“EPROM”),Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (“EEPROM”), flash memory or othersolid state memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (“DVD”),or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magneticdisk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other mediumwhich can be used to store the desired information and which can beaccessed by the computer system 1400. In the claims, the phrase“computer storage medium” and variations thereof does not include wavesor signals per se and/or communication media.

The user interface devices 1406 may include one or more devices withwhich a user accesses the computer system 1400. The user interfacedevices 1406 may include, but are not limited to, computers, servers,personal digital assistants, cellular phones, or any suitable computingdevices. The I/O devices 1408 enable a user to interface with theprogram modules 1416. In one embodiment, the I/O devices 1408 areoperatively connected to an I/O controller (not shown) that enablescommunication with the processing unit 1402 via the system bus 1412. TheI/O devices 1408 may include one or more input devices, such as, but notlimited to, a keyboard, a mouse, or an electronic stylus. Further, theI/O devices 1408 may include one or more output devices, such as, butnot limited to, a display screen or a printer to output data such as thedata stored in the store database 134 in the form of text, numbers,characters, maps, other visualizations, and the like.

The network devices 1410 enable the computer system 1400 to communicatewith other networks or remote systems via one or more networks such asthe network 122 and/or the store network 126. Examples of the networkdevices 1410 include, but are not limited to, a modem, a radio frequency(“RF”) or infrared (“IR”) transceiver, a telephonic interface, a bridge,a router, or a network card. The network(s) may include a wirelessnetwork such as, but not limited to, a WLAN such as a WI-FI network, aWWAN, a Wireless Personal Area Network (“WPAN”) such as BLUETOOTH, aWMAN such a WiMAX network, or a cellular network. Alternatively, thenetwork(s) may be a wired network such as, but not limited to, a WANsuch as the Internet, a LAN, a wired PAN, or a wired MAN.

Turning now to FIG. 15, additional details of an embodiment of thenetwork 122 are illustrated, according to an illustrative embodiment.The network 122 includes a cellular network 1502, a packet data network1504, for example, the Internet, and a circuit switched network 1506,for example, a publicly switched telephone network (“PSTN”). Thecellular network 1502 includes various components such as, but notlimited to, base transceiver stations (“BTSs”), Node-B's or e-Node-B's,base station controllers (“BSCs”), radio network controllers (“RNCs”),mobile switching centers (“MSCs”), mobile management entities (“MMEs”),short message service centers (“SMSCs”), multimedia messaging servicecenters (“MMSCs”), home location registers (“HLRs”), home subscriberservers (“HSSs”), visitor location registers (“VLRs”), chargingplatforms, billing platforms, voicemail platforms, GPRS core networkcomponents, location service nodes, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (“IMS”),and the like. The cellular network 1502 also includes radios and nodesfor receiving and transmitting voice, data, and combinations thereof toand from radio transceivers, networks, the packet data network 1504, andthe circuit switched network 1506.

A mobile communications device 1508, such as, for example, the userdevices 108A-108D, a cellular telephone, a user equipment, a mobileterminal, a PDA, a laptop computer, a handheld computer, andcombinations thereof, can be operatively connected to the cellularnetwork 1502. The cellular network 1502 can be configured as a 2G GSMnetwork and can provide data communications via GPRS and/or EDGE.Additionally, or alternatively, the cellular network 1502 can beconfigured as a 3G UMTS network and can provide data communications viathe HSPA protocol family, for example, HSDPA, EUL (also referred to asHSUPA), and HSPA+. The cellular network 1502 also is compatible with 4Gmobile communications standards as well as evolved and future mobilestandards.

The packet data network 1504 includes various devices, for example,servers, computers, databases, and other devices in communication withone another, as is generally known. The packet data network 1504 devicesare accessible via one or more network links. The servers often storevarious files that are provided to a requesting device such as, forexample, a computer, a terminal, a smartphone, or the like. Typically,the requesting device includes software (a “browser”) for executing aweb page in a format readable by the browser or other software. Otherfiles and/or data may be accessible via “links” in the retrieved files,as is generally known. In some embodiments, the packet data network 1504includes or is in communication with the Internet. In some embodiments,access to the packet data network 1504 can be provided, at least inpart, via WIFI, BLUETOOTH, BLUETOOTH LE, and/or other communicationsprotocols.

The circuit switched network 1506 includes various hardware and softwarefor providing circuit switched communications. The circuit switchednetwork 1506 may include, or may be, what is often referred to as aplain old telephone system (“POTS”). The functionality of a circuitswitched network 1506 or other circuit-switched network are generallyknown and will not be described herein in detail.

The illustrated cellular network 1502 is shown in communication with thepacket data network 1504 and a circuit switched network 1506, though itshould be appreciated that this is not necessarily the case. One or moreInternet-capable devices 1515, for example, a personal computer (“PC”),a laptop, a portable device, or another suitable device, can communicatewith one or more cellular networks 1502, and devices connected thereto,through the packet data network 1504. It also should be appreciated thatthe Internet-capable device 1510 can communicate with the packet datanetwork 1504 through the circuit switched network 1506, the cellularnetwork 1502, and/or via other networks (not illustrated).

As illustrated, a communications device 1512, for example, a telephone,facsimile machine, modem, computer, or the like, can be in communicationwith the circuit switched network 1506, and therethrough to the packetdata network 1504 and/or the cellular network 1502. It should beappreciated that the communications device 1512 can be anInternet-capable device, and can be substantially similar to theInternet-capable device 1510. In the specification, the network 122 maybe used to refer broadly to any combination of the networks 1502, 1504,1506. It should be appreciated that substantially all of thefunctionality described with reference to the network 122 can beperformed by the cellular network 1502, the packet data network 1504,and/or the circuit switched network 1506, alone or in combination withother networks, network elements, and the like.

Based on the foregoing, it should be appreciated that aspects ofcustomer service based upon in-store field-of-view and analytics havebeen disclosed herein. Although the subject matter presented herein hasbeen described in language specific to computer structural features,methodological and transformative acts, specific computing machinery,and computer-readable media, it is to be understood that the conceptsand technologies disclosed herein are not necessarily limited to thespecific features, acts, or media described herein. Rather, the specificfeatures, acts and mediums are disclosed as example forms ofimplementing the concepts and technologies disclosed herein.

The subject matter described above is provided by way of illustrationonly and should not be construed as limiting. Various modifications andchanges may be made to the subject matter described herein withoutfollowing the example embodiments and applications illustrated anddescribed, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of theembodiments of the concepts and technologies disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising collecting, by a storeanalytics system comprising a processor that executes a store analyticsapplication, user information associated with a plurality of userslocated within a store premises, wherein the user information uniquelyidentifies each of the plurality of users as a customer of the storepremises, and wherein the store premises comprises a plurality of aislesin which a plurality of items are located; collecting, by the storeanalytics system, user device information associated with a plurality ofuser devices associated with the plurality of users, wherein the userdevice information uniquely identifies each of the plurality of userdevices; receiving, by the store analytics system, from a visualorientation system, estimated fields-of-view associated with theplurality of users, wherein each estimated field-of-view of theestimated fields-of-view is determined by the visual orientation systembased upon an orientation of a user device of the plurality of userdevices and a location of the user device of the plurality of userdevices within the store premises, wherein the orientation of the userdevice is determined by the user device via an orientation sensor of theuser device in response to the orientation sensor detecting that theuser device has stopped within the store premises at a specific time,wherein the location of the user device is determined by the user devicevia a location component of the user device further in response to theorientation sensor detecting that the user device has stopped within thestore premises at the specific time, and wherein each estimatedfield-of-view of the estimated fields-of-view identifies an aisle of theplurality of aisles and an item of the plurality of items in the aisle;determining, by the store analytics system, based upon the userinformation, the user device information, and the estimatedfields-of-view, a commonality shared among at least two users of theplurality of users, wherein the commonality comprises each user of theat least two users of the plurality of users having the item of theplurality of items in an estimated field-of-view with the at least twousers; and creating, by the store analytics system, a logical group,wherein the logical group comprises a group of customers of the storepremises comprising the at least two users of the plurality of usersthat share the commonality.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: generating, by the store analytics system, an offer directedto the logical group, wherein the offer is associated with the item; andsending, by the store analytics system, the offer to the logical group.3. The method of claim 2, wherein sending, by the store analyticssystem, the offer to the logical group comprises sending, by the storeanalytics system, the offer to each user device of the plurality of userdevices that is associated with a member of the logical group.
 4. Themethod of claim 2, wherein sending, by the store analytics system, theoffer to the logical group comprises sending, by the store analyticssystem, the offer to a signage for presentation of the offer to thelogical group, wherein the signage displays a price for the itemparticular to the logical group.
 5. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: collecting, by the store analytics system, traffic patterndata associated with a traffic pattern of the logical group as membersof the logical group move within the store premises; generating, by thestore analytics system, a notification message to instruct customerservice personnel associated with the store premises to assist membersof the logical group with the item; and sending, by the store analyticssystem, the notification message to the customer service personnel. 6.The method of claim 1, further comprising instructing, by the storeanalytics system, a remote agent to provide assistance to members of thelogical group with regard to the item.
 7. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: generating, by the store analytics system, a messagedirected to a member of a social network platform, wherein the messageinstructs the member of the social network platform to provideassistance to the logical group with regard to the item; and sending, bythe store analytics system, the message to the member of the socialnetwork platform so that the member of the social network platform canprovide assistance to the logical group with regard to the item.
 8. Astore analytics system comprising: a processor; and memory that storescomputer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor,cause the processor to perform operations comprising collecting userinformation associated with a plurality of users located within a storepremises, wherein the user information uniquely identifies each of theplurality of users as a customer of the store premises, and wherein thestore premises comprises a plurality of aisles in which a plurality ofitems are located, collecting user device information associated with aplurality of user devices associated with the plurality of users,wherein the user device information uniquely identifies each of theplurality of user devices, receiving, from a visual orientation system,estimated fields-of-view associated with the plurality of users, whereineach estimated field-of-view of the estimated fields-of-view isdetermined by the visual orientation system based upon an orientation ofa user device of the plurality of user devices and a location of theuser device of the plurality of user devices within the store premises,wherein the orientation of the user device is determined by the userdevice via an orientation sensor of the user device in response to theorientation sensor detecting that the user device has stopped within thestore premises at a specific time, wherein the location of the userdevice is determined by the user device via a location component of theuser device further in response to the orientation sensor detecting thatthe user device has stopped within the store premises at the specifictime, and wherein each estimated field-of-view of the estimatedfields-of-view identifies an aisle of the plurality of aisles and anitem of the plurality of items in the aisle, determining, based upon theuser information, the user device information, and the estimatedfields-of-view, a commonality shared among at least two users of theplurality of users, wherein the commonality comprises each user of theat least two users of the plurality of users having the item of theplurality of items in an estimated field-of-view with the at least twousers, and creating a logical group, wherein the logical group comprisesa group of customers of the store premises comprising the at least twousers of the plurality of users that share the commonality.
 9. The storeanalytics system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:generating an offer directed to the logical group, wherein the offer isassociated with the item; and sending the offer to the logical group.10. The store analytics system of claim 9, wherein sending the offer tothe logical group comprises sending the offer to each user device of theplurality of user devices that is associated with a member of thelogical group.
 11. The store analytics system of claim 9, whereinsending the offer to the logical group comprises sending the offer to asignage for presentation of the offer to the logical group, wherein thesignage displays a price for the item particular to the logical group.12. The store analytics system of claim 8, wherein the operationsfurther comprise: collecting traffic pattern data associated with atraffic pattern of the logical group as members of the logical groupmove within the store premises; generating a notification message toinstruct customer service personnel associated with the store premisesto assist members of the logical group with the item; and sending thenotification message to the customer service personnel.
 13. The storeanalytics system of claim 8, wherein the operations further compriseinstructing a remote agent to provide assistance to members of thelogical group with regard to the item.
 14. The store analytics system ofclaim 8, wherein the operations further comprise: generating a messagedirected to a member of a social network platform, wherein the messageinstructs the member of the social network platform to provideassistance to the logical group with regard to the item; and sending themessage to the member of the social network platform so that the memberof the social network platform can provide assistance to the logicalgroup with regard to the item.
 15. A computer-readable storage mediumhaving computer-executable instructions that, when executed by aprocessor of a store analytics system, cause the store analytics systemto perform operations comprising: collecting user information associatedwith a plurality of users located within a store premises, wherein theuser information uniquely identifies each of the plurality of users as acustomer of the store premises, and wherein the store premises comprisesa plurality of aisles in which a plurality of items are located;collecting user device information associated with a plurality of userdevices associated with the plurality of users, wherein the user deviceinformation uniquely identifies each of the plurality of user devices;receiving, from a visual orientation system, estimated fields-of-viewassociated with the plurality of users, wherein each estimatedfield-of-view of the estimated fields-of-view is determined by thevisual orientation system based upon an orientation of a user device ofthe plurality of user devices and a location of the user device of theplurality of user devices within the store premises, wherein theorientation of the user device is determined by the user device via anorientation sensor of the user device in response to the orientationsensor detecting that the user device has stopped within the storepremises at a specific time, wherein the location of the user device isdetermined by the user device via a location component of the userdevice further in response to the orientation sensor detecting that theuser device has stopped within the store premises at the specific time,and wherein each estimated field-of-view of the estimated fields-of-viewidentifies an aisle of the plurality of aisles and an item of theplurality of items in the aisle; determining, based upon the userinformation, the user device information, and the estimatedfields-of-view, a commonality shared among at least two users of theplurality of users, wherein the commonality comprises each user of theat least two users of the plurality of users having the item of theplurality of items in an estimated field-of-view with the at least twousers; and creating a logical group, wherein the logical group comprisesa group of customers of the store premises comprising the at least twousers of the plurality of users that share the commonality.
 16. Thecomputer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operationsfurther comprise: generating an offer directed to the logical group,wherein the offer is associated with the item; and sending the offer tothe logical group.
 17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16,wherein sending the offer to the logical group comprises sending theoffer to each user device of the plurality of user devices that isassociated with a member of the logical group.
 18. The computer-readablestorage medium of claim 16, wherein sending the offer to the logicalgroup comprises sending the offer to a signage for presentation of theoffer to the logical group, wherein the signage displays a price for theitem that is particular to the logical group.
 19. The computer-readablestorage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further compriseinstructing a remote agent to provide assistance to members of thelogical group with regard to the item.
 20. The computer-readable storagemedium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise: generatinga message directed to a member of a social network platform, wherein themessage instructs the member of the social network platform to provideassistance to the logical group with regard to the item; and sending themessage to the member of the social network platform so that the memberof the social network platform can provide assistance to the logicalgroup with regard to the item.